Dare to Dress Up: A Day with Cosplayer Ren Tachibana

Alright guys. It's October. And you know what that means. It's time to talk about costumes!

One of the very best experiences I had while I was in Japan this summer was meeting up with an unbelievable cosplayer who goes by the name Ren Tachibana. When she agreed to meet me in Shinjuku, I was actually half surprised since I only knew her through Twitter. Meeting online in Japan isn't as common as it is over here, but she said she was excited to share her interest in geeky things with someone from outside of Japan. (You can visit this site to check out more of her work.)

The first thing that I noticed about Ren was how thoughtful she was. As my boyfriend put it, "She's a perfect gentleman...gentlewoman." Always holding doors for people, secretly picking up the tab at lunch, buying an extra umbrella for us when we were ill-prepared for the downpour--the list goes on. Not only that, but I was also impressed by the interesting array of things she was doing with her life: designing and hand-sewing incredible costumes, modeling and attending cons, editing for a gamer magazine and working as an aesthetician. In a former life she was even the illustrator's assistant for the famous manga Knights of Sidonia. Phew! I'm telling you, this girl was cool.

Now I can't say that I personally have a lot of experience doing cosplay, but I've always loved dressing up. As a nature enthusiast, I made up all kinds of crazy Halloween costumes as a kid including an aspen tree, a cumulus cloud and a rose garden! Later I eventually got into more character-based ones, such as the Link costume which I actually wore to a formal university lecture on Halloween day.

Anyway, instead of just talking about cosplay Ren decided to take me to one of Tokyo's most famous costume department stores and to show me the insane array of materials available. Seriously, there was a different floor devoted to almost every category you can think of. Contacts, lashes, wigs, makeup, material, buttons, clasps, patterns, everything. Here I am getting my education:

I know you can get all this stuff online, but it was amazing to see it all collected in one place, and it was cool to see materials that were geared toward cosplay specifically. Pink isn't my favourite colour, but I honestly couldn't resist this wig. Of course I could barely get the damn thing on, but luckily Ren was an expert! 

I would have to say that after spending the day together, it was almost impossible not to get interested in trying out cosplay. Everyone on the planet likes a character of some kind. 

About two days later, we met up again and this time she actually brought several of her costumes. We're not talking cheap, made-on-the-assembly-line stuff: we're talking high-quality, custom-fit pieces made with beautiful materials. I always wondered where people bought costumes of more obscure characters, but according to Ren that's where the real artistry and devotion comes in. She makes every last detail of each costume herself. I was especially curious about the armor, so she brought in this piece:

...and here I am looking significantly more hilarious in the same outfit:

I was lucky enough to get a private mini tutorial on how it's made. Would you guess that it's light as a feather? Here are a couple shots from our makeshift karaoke booth studio!

I have a wonderful interview with Ren that I'm looking forward to sharing with you (though we did it in Japanese, so it'll take a little time before the subs are ready). 

For something that some people consider childish, I think they would be amazed at the craftsmanship and love that goes into this art. Costumes of all sorts are worn in cultures around the world and there's something about them that's powerful and playful at the same time. That's something which Ren embodies beautifully.

Ever clicked on a sexy “male gamers only” ad? I have…

My adventures in the land of "adult online gaming..."

Anyone who's posted on YouTube hoping to maximize their views understands that sometimes you’ve got to hand over the controls. At the risk of deterring your audience, you agree to let the YouTube gods run ads at the start of your videos in hope of expanding your audience.  

Now I can tolerate it when they post cheesy local commercials about canine toothpaste—after all it doesn’t have any connection to the content of our project. But, alas, the Internet is capable of such irony. I’ve noticed that lately our videos have been draped with ads for pseudo-sexy adult gaming sites…and this I find down right hilarious. I guess the computer put two key words together: “women” and “gaming.”

So anyway, lying pitifully in bed with a fever, I let my curiosity get the better of me and I click on the link to play League of Angels:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99YSiYNeYJE

 Am I alone here? No need to be shy, cause now you know I’ve played it too! As the host of She Got Game, I decided it was my responsibility to do proper research—to really know what’s out there.

Upon first glance, this fantasy world is lovely—glowing, lush landscapes accompanied by a sentimental soundtrack (Miyazaki meets Enya?) You start off as a male hero learning the back story, but you can choose your own avatar for actual game play. There’s a male and female version of each (race? class?) though I must say the men have that androgynous anime-style sex appeal. I choose a woman, just because. I’m told to “choose an angel to bond with and increase her level.” Behold Nocturna, my guardian and aid in all of the battles:

I start off by exploring with Nocturna, but I can barely get anywhere. The game keeps leading me back to this battle arena where I duke it out with some gross-looking monster, but I don’t actually have control of the moves—the computer does all the work for me. I decide I need to stir the pot and make things interesting, so I approach someone with a flashier outfit (hmm…someone of a higher rank? You’ve got more clothes at any rate). I try to squeeze some newbie advice out of her, but she doesn’t respond to my chat. Oh well! Fact is I’m getting bored. I get a few friend requests, but there’s no interaction.

I finally figure out the way to customize my character. My options: wings and clothing (under the category of “Bling”) and a wedding ring (huh?) which it appears I’m still too poor to purchase. What’s the deal with that!? I’m too impatient to find out through game play so I look it up. AMAZING:

From the official website:

Players that are lucky enough to have found their soul mate in League of Angels are now able to get hitched. Requirements:

Both parties need to be single. You can use Sex Change Card to change your character’s gender.

It must be a heterosexual marriage.

Both parties need to reach at least Level 40.

Both parties need to be online.

Both parties need to be on each other’s friendlist.

At least 1999 Intimacy points.
At least one set of wedding rings.

Wow! Who knew that when they clicked on the busty, elfen-looking lady they were really getting set up for the long term!? Not exactly what I'd expected. And just take a look at all the conditions for marriage.....if only we had to jump through so many hoops in real life. 

All in all, very Intriguing--mostly because the game does not offer as much immediate gratification as I had expected; it requires patience and uh...relationship building. As much as it might not be my taste, I think I'll continue this sexy online adventure, if only to update you on what it's like "for educational purposes." Then again if you're in the mood for something highly entertaining, why not?